Bengaluru metro fare hike: Siddaramaiah asks BMRCL to reduce 'abnormal' hikes amid outrage

Siddaramaiah stated that he has directed the BMRCL Managing Director to urgently rectify these discrepancies and reduce fares where the increase is excessive.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has urged the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to address anomalies in the recent metro fare revision, highlighting that fares have more than doubled on certain routes.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah(PTI)

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Siddaramaiah stated that he has directed the BMRCL Managing Director to urgently rectify these discrepancies and reduce fares where the increase is excessive. He emphasized that commuter interests must be safeguarded.

“I have asked the MD of BMRCL to urgently address these issues and reduce fares where increases are abnormal. Commuters' interests must be safeguarded," he wrote on X.

Check out the post here:

The fare revision, which came into effect recently, has sparked widespread criticism, with metro users expressing concerns over steep price hikes on specific travel stages. The Chief Minister’s intervention comes amid mounting public pressure for a fair and transparent pricing structure.

Recent fare hike

Bengaluru metro commuters are paying higher fares after the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) implemented a fare hike of nearly 50 per cent. The revised fare structure, recommended by the Fare Fixation Committee, came into effect on February 9, 2025.

According to BMRCL's press release, the new pricing system introduces separate tariffs for peak and non-peak hours, similar to ride-hailing services like Ola and Uber. The maximum fare has been increased from ₹60 to ₹90, while the minimum balance required in smart cards has also been raised from ₹50 to ₹90.

Under the new fare structure, a ride between 0-2 km will cost ₹10, 2-4 km ₹20, 4-6 km ₹30, 6-8 km ₹40, 8-10 km ₹50, 10-12 km ₹60, 15-20 km ₹70, 20-25 km ₹80, and any travel above 25 km will be charged ₹90.

BMRCL stated that the Fare Fixation Committee submitted its recommendations on December 16, 2024, and as per Section 37 of the Metro Railway O&M Act, the recommendations are binding on the Metro administration. With the approval of the BMRCL Board, the revised fares were officially enforced from Sunday.